Sterilizing toothbrush holder



APll 9,Y 1929. J. l.. MAcsHANE STER'ILIZING TOOTHBRUSH HOLDER FiledSept. l2, 1927 y JWM@ .A Jmes ea /acsane Patented Apr. 1.929.'

UNITED STATES Janns LEE MACSHANE, or NEW KENSINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

STERILIZIN TOOTHBRUSH HOLDER.

` Application tiled September This invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in tooth brush holders and more articularly to a type whichwill nain- I tain t e brush in an absolutely sterile condition when notin use.

The important object of the invention re-v sides in the provision of atooth brush holder which will prevent contamination of the brush by theprovision of a brush chamber in which 'the brushis housed when not inuse and in which theair-can be maintained in an absolutely sterilecondition.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the'abovecharacter having means associated therewith for forcing sterile air intothe brush chamber and contaminated air out of the same.

A. further object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter which will he easy to maintain in a sanitary-condition, can bemanufactured at the minimum expense and one which will not interferewith the brush being suspended in theordinary ways when not in use.

@ther objects and advantages ofthe invention will become apparent duringthe course of the following description.

ln the drawing forming a part of theap- .plication and wherein likenumerals are einployed to designate like parts through the severalviews: f

Figure 1 is a: longitudinal section of the invention illustrating atooth brush stored therein.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the device, and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of one end of the tooth brush holder.

Referriii now more particularly to the drawing w erein for the purposesof illus- Y tration l' have shown one modification of the invention, thenumeral 5 designatesfthe improved tooth brush holder in its entirety.rThis holder is preferably constructed from a single iece of resilienttubing such as rubbei, suitably treated to shape the same intoindividual chambers and a mouth portion as will be hereinafter setforth.' In the present illustration have shown-the tubing las beingsubstantially rectangularin cross section to closely approximate thecross sectional 'shape of the average tooth brush, but it will beobvious that the cross, sectional shape'of the holder may be variedwithout departing from the scope of the invention.

12, i927. serial m. ziaias.

One end of this rubber tubing is contractedas at 6 to provide acontracted,` elastic, axially extending neck or mouth, 7 for a brushchamber designated by the numeral 8.

This brush chamber is, of course, of a size to receive the brush headand part of an ordinary tooth brush handle substantially as indicated indotted lines at 9.

The neck 7 of ,the holder includes a. of telescopic sections 10 whichare provided by slitting opposite sides of the neck lon itudinally as at11 and thenv subjecting t e neck to suchr treatment as will cause theslit edges of one section 10 to be normally over- 70 lapped by thecorresponding edges of the other section as shown in Figures 3` and 4.The slit edges of the' two sections 10 are preferably tapered orfeathered as shown so that the neck portion of the holder upon itsreturn to shape, after being expanded by the insertion of the brushhead, to closel fit around the handle of the tooth brus when the latteris positioned in the holder.

` It will be noted that the yslits 11 in tle 80 neck do not extendthroughouty the length thereof, "but leave a portion 12 of the neckwhich adjoins the end of the brush chamber, intact or not slit so thatthat this portion 12 ,of the neck will be stretched or expanded uponinsertion of the head of the brush into the brush chamber 8. The entireholder being constructed of resilient material such as elastic rubber,it will be obvious that after the head of the lbrush has passed the neckportion, the entire neck portion 7, including the portion 12, will atonce contract to its normal size which is preferably of a size tosnugly. embrace the handle portion of the average tooth brush.Consequently, upon the insertion of a brush in the holder, and after thehead of the brush has been inserted within the brush chamber 8, the neckportion of the holder will contract and closely einbrace the handle ofthe brush to exclude the 10o entrance of air into the brush chamberthrough the neck portion.

The end of the brush chamber 8 opposite the contracted neck 7 iscontracted as at 13 at spaced points to provide a medicament orsterilizing chamber between said contracted portions. The contraction ofthe tube at these points is not 'sufficient to close communication,between the brush chamber 8 and the medicament chamber 14 and there'is110 left a passage-or space l15 between these two chambers. Within themedicament chamber pair on is positioned a pad or wad of absorbentmaterial .16, re erably sterilized absorbent cotton, whic is saturatedwith a sterilizing .agent or disinfectant. The end of the tubingopposite the neck 7 is suitably formed into -a pressure bulb 17 havinganopening or slit 18 through which air is ermitted to .enter from theatmosphere an which is adapted to be closed by afin er of the operatorwhen compressing the bul portion 17. This bulb communicates withmedicament chamber 14 through a passage 19 extending through theoutermost contracted portion 13 ot the tube. This elastic bulb '17serves 'when compressed, to force atmospheric air through the medicamentchamber 14 and thence via passage 15 into the brush compartment 8 andthrough the'bristles of the b rush thereby forcing the a Abrush isdisposed therein isobtained only' contaminated air which hasrenteredwith insertion of the brush back through the neck'7 between the4 wallsthereof and the brush handle, thereby leaving nothing but sterile air inthe brush compartment'and the tooth brush free from contamination whennot in use. The walls of the neck 7 are adapted to snugly embrace thebrush handle in asubstantially air tight mannerbut being resilient'willexpand under pressure to' permit the escape of air in the brush cham--ber upon ``ct mpression of the bulb 17.

Ventilation of the brush chamber 8 when through themedicament chamberand bulb .17 via the openin 18, as a consequence of which any atmosperic airY ten into the brush .chamber 8 must rst pass through thesterilizing chamber 14 before obtaining entrance to the brush chamber.

Itis, of course, obvious that the absorbent material 16 and 'sterilizing.agent may -be introduced into 'the sterilizing chamber 14 neck .7 would,through the opening in either end of the holder, but if desired, thesterilizing chamber and pressure bulb 17 may be constructed separatefrom the brush chamber and detachably connected theretoby any .suitablemeans. Furthermore, it is obvious that'the 'pressure bulb 17 may bedetachably connected to the sterilizing chamber 14 in any suitablemanner.

It-is also within the scope of my invention to construct thebrushchamber 8 ofA suicient length tobe adapted to enclose`the entiretooth brush, including its handle, in an airtightI manner be constructedto close'upon itself in an airtight manner, instead of around'the handleof the brush as disclosedv in the. specific embodiment` herein.illustrated.-4

Variousother changes in the shape, construction and arrangement of thevarious artsmylie resorted to without departing om the scope ofappended-claims. 'Having thus described the construction andoperation ofthe holderglhat claim is:

to seep- .stantially air tight manner, a 'agent chamber 'communicatingwithf :in which-casev the contractile brush chamber,- 4and apressurebulb com- 1. A sterilizing tooth brush holder; com

ile` air into said chambe'r and exhausting 2. A sterilizing tooth brushholder .comprising a closed brush chamber having a contractile mouthadapted to permit the insertion of the brush into said chamber, saidchamber adapted to hold a tooth brush therein'in an air tight manner,and meansl associated with said chamber for forcing sterile air into thechamber and .vitiated air out through said contractile mouth.

3. A sterilizing tooth brush holder comprising the combination of aclosed b rush chamber having a contracted expansible neck normally of a'size to snugly receive the handle of a tooth brush in I'an air-'tightman- .ner and expansible to admit the head of said brush through saidcontracted neck into said chamber, and means associated with ,saidchamber forforcing sterile air into saidchamber and vitiated air outbetween the handle of the tooth brush and said con-v tracted expansibleneck.

4. A sterilizing'- tooth brush holder comprising a closed brus'h chamberhaving a con-y tractile mouth ada' ted to close about the handle of a.brush serted therein ina substantially air ti h tmanner, and means as,sociated with sa1d chamber for forcing ster-1 ile air into said chamberand vitiated air out through said contractile mouth.

5. A sterilizing tooth brush'holder coms .prising a closed brush chamberhaving a re.

silient mouth adapted to close about the handle of a brush insertedtherein in a substantially air tight manner, a sterilizin chambercommunicating with said brus chamber, andA means associated with saidsterilizing chamber' for forcingv sterile air into said brush chamberand through resilient mouth.

6. A sterilizing tooth brush holder comprising a closed brush chamberhaving a vitiated air out contractile mouth adapted to close about'thehandle of abrush inserted therein in a subsai municatingwithsaidfsterilizing agent chamber or'forcing sterile air into said brushhaving an e ansible mouth, the other end of` said hol er providing avdisinfectant chamber communicatingv with ,the brush vchamber andvitiated air outgthroughsaid' z chamber and a pressure bulbcommunicating with said disinfectant chamber. 8. A tooth brush holdercomprising a onepiece resilient tubular holder one end of which providesa brush chamber, said holder. having a contracted resilient tubularmouth normally of a size to snugly receive the handle of a tooth brushin an air tight manner and expansible to admit the head of said brushinto said chamber, and said neck being provided with opposedlongitudinal slits in a portion of its length and formed into a pair oftelescopic sections adapted to facilitate the insertion of the brushhead into said chamber. v

In testimony whereof have hereunto setv my hand.

JAMES LEE MACSHNE,

